Azerbaijan

On 29 May, the Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers extended the special quarantine regime until 15 June, but a part of the restrictions under the special quarantine regime have already been removed.

In particular, in Baku, Sumgait, Ganja, Lankaran and the Absheron region, the limit of the number of employees in state institutions at a given time was canceled. The activity of large shopping centers and malls was resumed in these parts of the country. Also, the organization of outdoor sports competitions without spectators is allowed.

The Azerbaijani government also made the decision to make it mandatory to wear masks in vehicles, historical and cultural monuments and places of worship. People must also wear masks in institutions of science and health care, closed facilities for social and cultural purposes, public transport stops, in queues at ticket offices, ATMs and payment terminals, objects of trade, and services, and in public places where crowding or close contact between people is observed. The Cabinet of Ministers introduced fines for breaking the rules of social distancing and the wearing of face masks, ranging from $29 to $235.

It was also announced that the resumption of flights to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic are planned after 8 June and that the Azerbaijani government is planning to issue Covid-19 passports in the country which would allow passengers to avoid quarantine at the countries of arrival.

The current tally of infected persons in Azerbaijan stands at 5662, with 68 reported deaths.

Georgia

The travel website European Best Destinations named Tbilisi as the safest place to travel in Europe in 2020. The Georgian Black Sea town of Batumi was also named as one of the least affected destinations by Covid-19.

Speaking on the issue of reopening the Georgian tourism sector, the country's Minister of Infrastructure Maia Tskitishvili said that tourism would reopen in Georgia through so-called 'safe corridors' to ensure an organised inflow of foreign visitors from countries which have positive results in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. She named Israel, Austria and the Baltic countries as the countries with which Georgia was making negotiations.

Despite being considered as one of the more successful stories in combating the Covid-19, Georgia reported a steady rise of new cases in the past few days bringing the total tally to 796 with 12 reported deaths. However, the Clinical Director of Tbilisi Infectious Hospital Marina Ezugbaia said that the epidemic situation in Georgia is under full control. “Despite the emergence of the so-called ‘Saburtalo Cluster’, all of the primary contacts have been detected and the research is ongoing,” she said.